Lee Brice Reveals Hit Song Was Originally For Luke Combs

When you interview celebrities and artists you don't expect them to call you up and greet you like an old friend, but not everyone is country star Lee Brice.

As Johnny picked up the line, we assumed we would talk to Brice's manager or rep before being handed over to the singer. A few seconds after answering the phone, the studio speakers rumbled with one of the most percussive greetings I've ever heard.

"Hey! Hey! It's Lee Brice!"

The energy of the chart topping country singer infected the whole studio, waking both Johnny and I from that early morning wall of exhaustion that we know all too well. Luckily we were able to capture part of that moment in a video taken by Intern Aaron.

Get our free mobile app

Brice could not be more excited to be going on tour after this whirlwind of a year. Not only did he take over the country charts with multiple hits, release his new album 'Hey World,' and even beat COVID.

He tested positive for the virus in November, which unfortunately coincided with the CMA Awards where he was supposed to perform his chart-topping single "I Hope You're Happy Now" with fellow country star Carly Pearce.

"We haven't played it a lot, but we've definitely played it a few times...and it's really fun," the singer explains. One of those times was as part of the Grand Ole Opry’s live broadcast on Saturday June 6th, 2020.

During our phone call with Brice we found out that this track was initially meant for Luke Combs. Carly Pearce, Luke Combs and a few other musicians wrote this song, which has been at the top of the country music charts for weeks.

Pearce reached out to Brice's manager and asked if he would be interested in collaborating with her. He claims that Pearce kept hearing his voice on the track.

"I knew she was so talented and she was a cool, cool person," Brice explains. "I'm a song guy and it really depends on the song."

The moment that he heard the demo with Luke Combs, the country singer knew he was in.

"It felt just like 90's country classic to me," and not only did he love the sound but he was also super flattered that Carly Pearce wanted him to sing with her on the song.

"She just said that when she was writing this song that she just kept hearing my voice on it," Lee Brice explains "she said 'I want to hear that Lee thing!' and I was like 'I don't know what you're talking about!"

We know, Lee. We know exactly what that "Lee thing" is.

Lee Brice will be making his way through the Midwest this March. You can see him in Iowa at the Five Flags Arena in Dubuque on Saturday, March 13th. We will be giving away tickets on Thursdays leading up to Brice's Iowa show.

If you missed the full interview, don't worry! We have a special episode of the Marks In The Morning podcast with our entire call with the K-Country star. Plus, there is some exclusive content on this episode that even people who listened to this live didn't hear yet.